Planning Application Round Up

Very few planning applications in recent weeks. Here is a round up.

PLAN/2010/0944
A single storey side extension and a first floor extenson over the existing garage for Asha in Horsell Park.

PLAN/2010/0931
Crombie, 30 Thornash Road is seeking a Certificate of Lawful Development for a single storey side extension.

PLAN/2010/0893
Coxhill Farm in Deep Pool Lane is seeking a Certificate of Lawful Development for a two storey rear extension and single storey extensions to north and south elevations. There was previously an application to demolish the existing property on this site and build a new property. This was withdrawn. This is an application to make these changes to the property without the need to submit a full planning application.

PLAN/2010/0798
Application for a single storey rear extension at 18 Tresta Walk.

PLAN/2010/0864
Another single storey rear extension, this one is at 40 Horsell Park Close.

PLAN/2010/0885
Oak Cottage in South Road are seeking to add a single storey rear conservatory to the property.

An application at 90-92 High Street to convert office space to four one bedroom flats has been refused.

New cycle crossing of Victoria Way

Crossing over Victoria Way in a rush to work this morning I saw a site notice. I got chance to have a look on the way home. It is an application for a cycle crossing of Victoria Way. The plan emanates from Surrey County Council. The detail is not clear but I think the plan is for a separate crossing for cyclists. The notice says the plans can be seen at the WBC offices but I can't see where there are to be found online. A search of applications for both wards that meet at the road - Horsell West and Goldsworth East produces no relevant application and the Surrey CC site only seems to have applications for mineral extraction. The Cycle Woking website has details of a new crossing of the canal in the Hermitage area but nothing about this plan.

I will continue my search and report back when I have full details of this plan.

UPDATE
Shortly after posting this I received the plans for the crossing in the post. As a councillor for the area I was notified directly. This still doesn't answer my issue that it is not easy for local residents to access this information. Why can't such plans go on to the Internet as for planning applications.

I was also made aware by a colleague that as this is the County Council the notice is effectively a "traffic order" not an application and so they will go ahead and build the crossing unless there is a legal objection. In fact work has now begun to clear the bushes and other plants near to the Council offices in preparation for the crosssing.

I have no reason to object to the crossing. A separate cycle crossing makes sense and gives both pedestrians and cyclists more room. I am just unhappy about the process and Surrey's lack of consultation with local people.

Missing Bus Information

Further to my piece on changes to buses running through Horsell that were not communicated to passengers another SCC failure in communication has come to my notice.

One of the buses that serves Woking High has been dropped, another has a new number and one has a different departure time. None of these changes were advised to the school before the new term started this week. The school only learnt of the changes through reports from students and parents.

Is it really so difficult to tell people what is going on Surrey?

Planning Applications 9 September 2010

Can't believe that Thursday has come around again. Time for the weekly update of planning applications.

Just two this week - one householder application and a Council application.

PLAN/2010/0799
Elwood, Waldens Road, Horsell
Summary description has this as "erection of a replacement dwelling" but looking at the detail of the application it describes two storey side extensions and internal reworking. The property is a relatively small bungalow so it maybe that the planners feel this is effectively a new dwelling. I have queried with the planning officer and will update this post when I have more information.
UPDATE - planning officer has told me that as little of original property will remain and it is two storey extensin to bungalow this is classed as 'erection of replacement dwelling'.

PLAN/2010/0820
Application to retain the recycling centre at Kestrel Way for the next two years. Permission for this small site on Kestrel Way seems to come up for renewal every couple of years.

Update on Horsell Scouts and Guides

Attended the WBC Executive tonight where an "enabling" paper was presented on future funding for community facilities including new accommodation for Horsell Scouts and Guides. The paper envisaged using money made from Wolsey Place shopping centre (now owned by WBC) to fund these local community projects. Some concerns were raised, including by me, about whether the funds from Wolsey Place could be guaranteed in the future. I also asked about how projects would be assessed for funding, what criteria would be most important and about timescales. Didn't really get any satisfactory answers on these questions. On timing I was told by the Leader of the Executive that it was "the beginning of a journey".

The Executive supported the paper and council officers will now progress feasability reports on each of the projects.

New home for Horsell Scouts & Guides?

Horsell Scouts and Guides has been fundraising for what seems like forever for a new headquarters. The existing building, which is used by the scouts and guides themselves, Young World pre-school and the Karen Clarke dance school needs much on-going maintenance. The group is now reaching the stage where it may have enough to match any funding it can source from grants and it has looked into the funds available from various sources, including Woking Council.

Woking Council has discussed plans with the group and a paper is going to this week's council Executive meeting with proposals as to how the Council might potentially provide funds in the future for Horsell Scouts and Guides and other voluntary groups across Woking, including Horsell Village Hall, sports facilities in Alpha Road and Goldsworth Park and community facilities in Byfleet, Old Woking and St Johns. In summary the paper suggests that money generated from the Council's ownership of Wolsey Place may be used in future to help fund improvements to local community facilities. It is also suggested that this money could be supplanted by subscription from local individuals and businesses.

This matter goes before Woking's Conservative executive on Thursday. I don't have a vote on it but I can say a few words. I am interested to hear your views on this. You can email me at cllrann-marie.barker@woking.gov.uk

Buses and Car Parks

I returned from holiday to a message from a resident very concerned about changes in bus timetables last week and the lack of information from either Surrey or the bus companies on this matter. Some bus times have changed and other routes have been removed completely. It seems a small number of residents were told of the changes by bus drivers in the preceding week but many were not and waited vainly at bus stops. I am told that new timetables are available at Woking library.

I was aware that changes may be made following the first stage of Surrey's bus "consultation" but certainly had no idea this was to take place last week. I will seek further information from Surrey on Monday.

A short walk across Brewery Road car park early Saturday evening and I thought I was back in Cornwall. There was so much sand in the car park I thought I had been transported to a beach car park. The sand was in the far corner of the car park, where coaches used to park and near the drop off area by the bridge to the town centre. The cause of the sand appears to be holes dug, and neatly filled in the car park. I can only guess that the "holes" are test pits dug by WWF to investigate the land. I recall that Surrey carried out a similar exercise prior to their aborted move to the car park. It would have been nice to have been told about the work and a good idea to get the contractors to clear up when the work was finished. I will contact the neighbourhood officer on Monday about getting the mess cleared up.

Latest Horsell West Planning Applications

Still very quiet on the planning application front. I've just returned from a week in a sunny Cornwall so two weeks of applications combined follow. This still only means 3 applications. As ever click on the link to go direct to the full details of the application. You can commit directly on the application, send an email with your views or write a letter.

The application for the church site on Meadway Drive, close to the junction with the High Street, has been withdrawn. I am sure there will be a further application on this site and will look out for this application.

PLAN/2010/0802
Flagstones Horsell Vale
Extension at side and rear of property, part single and part two storey. This is an amendment to an application permitted in October 2009. An amendment to the 2009 application was refused planning permission earlier this year.

PLAN/2010/0797
Dennington Ridgeway
Erection of a car port in front of existing garage.

PLAN/2010/0825
Dumgoyne Bullbeggars Lane
Erection of detached single garage / store to rear garden.

Latest Update - Littlewick Road

Finally managed to get an answer from Surrey County Council about the roadworks in Littlewick Road. Gave up on county officers and went to the general helpline. Staff were very helpful. "Rob" who answered the phone obviously looked on the same web site page I searched, to no avail. However he then spoke to a colleague in Highways and put me through to her for an answer.

I don't recall the name of the person in Highways but she explained that a hole had been found in the road with a cavity underneath. The County Council had to investigate what had caused the hole. A utility was suspected but this had to be explored. After investigation there was no conclusive evidence of what had caused the hole so it will be fixed by County Council contractors. This should now be done in the next two weeks.

Latest Horsell West Planning Appplications

Still quiet on the planning application front here in Horsell. There have been two new applications in the past week. One is for an extension in Morton Road and the other for a demolition and new building on the outer edges of Horsell at Deep Pool Lane. As you will see below this site has a Chobham address but it is part of Horsell West ward and in the Woking BC area.

To view more details of each application and to submit your views click on the application number below. You can also submit a view by email (the officer dealing with the case is detaailed on each application) or write to the Planning Department at Woking BC, referencing the planning application number.

If there are local concerns about an application and ten or more objections are received a complainant is entitled to put their case before the planning committee.

PLAN/2010/0769
Coxhill Farm, Deep Pool Lane, Chobham
Erection of a two storey dwelling and garage following demolition of the existing dwelling on site.

PLAN/2010/0766
Woodlands, Morton Road, Horsell
Erection of part two storey side and rear extension and single storey side and rear extension.

Good news on Horsell Way Mast

I received some great news on the Horsell Way mast yesterday. Tyco Electronics, agent for Vodafone and 02, informed councillors that they are to "further investigate the Kestrel Way site as their preferred option". Tyco say that "the Horsell Way site will not be pursued any further at this time".

This means that 02 will look to put up a mast near Kestrel Way, on Horsell Common Preservation Society (HCPS) land. The site is removed both physically and visibly from homes, schools and businesses. It is a site that has had a good degree of public support.

There was much effort to promote this site at the time of the original Horsell Way mast application , but to no avail. It is a real step forward that 02 are now seriously considering this location. I understand 02 plan to meet Woking BC representatives at the site in the near future.

I will continue to keep residents informed on progress.

CAB Cuts

I am very worried to hear about likely cuts in both staff and services at Woking Citizens Advice Bureau.

Woking Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides a range of valuable services to local people. Through a small number of employees and an army of volunteers they offer legal advice, support on housing issues, help on claiming benefits, support on debt issues, employment problems, relationship issues, consumer rights, discrimination and more.

Contrary to popular belief CAB is not funded by government. It is a charitable organisation which relies on grants and donations. Woking CAB is not receiving its anticipated level of funding in the coming year and so it is looking at both cutting services and losing paid employees.

I visited the local CAB earlier this year with parliamentary candidate Rosie Sharpley and South East region MEP Sharon Bowles. We heard from Hazel Craig-Waller about the range of services provided and the number of residents helped by the CAB.

Cuts to the CAB, especially in the current economic climate, will be hard felt. Just at a time when the service is most needed it may need to cut back on its vital services.

Planning Applications 14 August 2010

Latest new planning applications in Horsell West, as of this week. Still a quiet period. The three applications added this week all relate to residential extensions.

First one up is an application for a two storey rear extension in Bury Lane. Check out the full details at PLAN/2010/0694/HOU.

And the next one is also for an extension, this time it is both a single and two storey rear extension and a single storey front porch in Heather Close. Full details at PLAN/2010/0730/HOU.

The third application is one listed last week (see below) in Holyoake Crescent. The application has changed so rather than a full planning application it is an "application for a certificate of proposed lawful development". Again this is an extension, single storey, at the rear of the existing property.

BriefUpdates

Unexplained Roadworks
I've just been asked about the roadworks in Littlewick Road in Horsell. Apparently there have been roadworks on this road for around two weeks - but no sign of any work. I had a look at Surrey County Council's web based list of works but there is nothing there about Littlewick Road. I have contacted Surrey County Council to ask what is happening.

Phone Mast
Still no phone mast application I am pleased to say but vigilance continues and I am on the lookout for anything happening on this.

Arthur's Bridge / Well Lane Junction with Lockfield Drive
I am still awaiting information from the County Council on what has happened since my question to the Local Committee about safety at the Arthurs Bridge / Well Lane junction with Lockfield Drive.

A Credit Union for Woking

Delighted to hear news this week that progress is being made on the Surrey Save Credit Union. The Credit Union will offer a savings and loan service to residents across Surrey, including Woking. The Union will be run by volunteers and offer banking services to those who may have difficulty accessing traditional banks.

The Credit Union has taken a long time to come together but hopes to start offering services next year.

Woking Borough and other local councils have supported the scheme but sadly Surrey County Council have offered little to the Credit Union.

Latest Planning Applications

Just two planning applications for Horsell West this week. No mast application yet but one plan that is likely to cause concern.

The first is for the erection of an extension in Holyoake Avenue. A previous application was withdrawn so I am guessing that this is a revised application, maybe following advice from planning officers. Planning application reference PLAN/2010/0695/HOU. The deadline for public comments is not clear on this application. I will update the post when I have that information.

The second application may raise some comment. It is for the site of the Gospel Hall, the single storey hall at the High Street end of Meadway Drive. The site was put up for sale several months ago when the religious group who met there decided to centre their meetings elsewhere in the county, closer to where most of their membership live. The site was sold by auction and an application has now been made to demolish the hall and erect a three storey building containing five flats, each with two bedrooms.

My initial thought was that the height of the buidling was out of keeping with other properties in the area. The surrounding area is a mix of two storey houses and shops with flats above. However on looking at the plans I see that the applicant is proposing a building that appears to be styled to fit in with the houses nearby.

My second thought was parking. Four spaces are proposed at the site. With five flats, each with two bedrooms and the potential for residents to be young people sharing this could mean one person per bedroom so potentially ten vehicles. If couples occupied each room it could mean as many as twenty vehicles. Local roads can't cope with the extra cars. This is a particularly heavily parked road, especially along the section between the High Street and South Close. It gets especially busy at school drop off and pick up time. The site also seems rather small for this building. What do you think? Planning application reference PLAN/2010/0700. The deadline for public comments is 19 August, but in practice comments will be accepted up until the time when the application is considered.

Given the public interest that this application is likely to generate and my concerns on parking at the site in particular I have asked that the application goes before the planning committee.

You can submit your comments on any planning application to Woking Borough Council at the Public Access to Planning website. I would also be interested to hear your views on any planning application. Email me at cllrann-marie.barker@woking.gov.uk

Look out for mast applications

A week and a half into the school summer holidays and I am keeping my eyes and ears wide open for any mast applications. After the pre-consultation on adding to the Horsell Way mast I am concerned that a full appplication may be submitted over the holiday period. Councillors receive a weekly email update of planning applications received and decided. I check this thoroughly each week. I also, particularly at this time of year, check the "Public Access for Planning" website which contains all applications. You can get the latest on planning applications yourself by clicking on the link.

Arthur's Bridge / Well Lane Junction awaiting information

The "Casualty Reduction Working Group" which was to consider the Arthur's Bridge / Well Lane junction with Lockfield Drive met on 21 July. I have still had no feedback from that meeting. Today I searched Surrey County Council's website for details of the group or its meetings but found nothing. I have now sent a query to Surrey asking what was the outcome of the meeting. I will post a further update when I hear from this meeting and get the full accident figures for the junction.

Update on Arthur's Bridge / Well Lane Junction

Since I last posted on this accident hotspot a few weeks ago there has been another accident and I received an answer to my question to Surrey's Local Committee.

In response to my question at the Local Committee I was told that the Safety Review I had asked for could only be done for new junctions. Despite the poor safety record at this junction it seems a Safety Review will not be considered. The County Council did agree to put the matter to another committee concerned with road safety. I haven't had any feedback from that meeting.

When I sought further action I was told that the County Council can't legislate for poor driving. I think this rather misses the point.

Whilst I was considering next steps to improve safety at this dangerous junction I drove right into an accident last Sunday. I was heading for Morrisons supermarket on Sunday afternoon. As I approached the top of Arthur's Bridge Road I became aware of a resident trying to pull out of his drive and another vehicle waiting to make the left turn towards Lockfield Drive. I drove around a parked car and edged into a space. It was then that I realised the traffic wasn't moving onto Lockfield Drive. In the middle of the junction, heading for a right turn onto Lockfield Drive there was a car with the driver's side badly dented. To the left of the junction was another car which I assume had hit the first car. Police were on the seen and directing traffic. Drivers coming out of Arthur's Bridge had to turn left onto Lockfield Drive.

I have seen no information about this accident since Sunday. I hope this means that no serious injury was suffered. This does pose the question as to how many non-injury accidents there may have been at the junction. I have written to the police to see if they have the answer.

Martyrs Lane recycling site is to close for redevelopment from 12 July. It will remain closed for 22 weeks. This means no local recycling site for Horsell residents until after Christmas.

Benefits of the redevelopment will be:

+ Easier, step free access to the recycling containers
+ Separate entrances for the public and HGVs to help reduce queuing
+ More parking – increasing from 20 to 45 spaces

Whilst the site is closed the alternatives are Slyfield in Guildford and Lyne, near Chertsey. Both alternative sites are a similar distance away from Horsell. Lyne is 4.5 miles away from Martyrs Lane, a total of 7 miles from the centre of Horsell village. Slyfield is 7 miles from Martrys Lane and 6 miles from Horsell Village.

In order to cope with the heaviest demand summer months the two alternative sites will stay open until 7.30pm every evening until the end of September.

The improvements sound very welcome. It is disappointing that the site has to be closed for such a long period. This redevelopment has been talked about for some time and it was originally thought that the site would be able to remain open during the work. I do hope that the redevelopment leaves to an improved system that reduces queues into and around the site. The last time the site was changed several years ago it led actually increased queues.